Health and Social Care BA (Hons)
Dagenham, United Kingdom
BA
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
This Health and Social Care BA (Hons) course explores the core concepts of healthcare through theoretical and practical learning.
Course overview
This course aims to help you become a knowledgeable, enthusiastic and skilled individual ready to support the delivery of health and social care within the NHS, local authority services, private health provision or third-sector services. It provides the opportunity for the development of the knowledge and skills required of healthcare support workers, community healthcare workers and those with roles in health and social care, and can offer a Continuing Professional Development opportunity for those in the sector.
This course is designed to:
- analyse the interaction between sociology, social policy and health
- prepare you to work in this dynamic and demanding sector by exploring health on an individual and societal level
- explore how society is organised and how we care for the vulnerable, the challenges facing modern society and the importance of caring for our environment.
Why you should study this course
The curriculum is diverse and contemporary and is designed to cover:
- collaborative approaches to teaching and learning that introduce students to a broad range of local services
- visits, activities and collaborations that expose students to a variety of local providers
opportunities for learning outside the classroom and an approach to teaching that includes applying your learning2. - potential opportunities in a range of health and social care careers with local employment options.
Choose to study at CU London and you will can also benefit from:
- A diverse team of experienced tutors with a range of backgrounds in areas such as health care, social care, community work and leadership.
- opportunity for international trips
- opportunity for sandwich year.
Year One
The first stage (HNC) of the degree element of the course gives you a theoretical grounding in the fundamentals of health and social care. There is an early focus on safe and effective practice and safeguarding. The course also provides you with an introduction to the sociological perspectives of health, the importance of environmental issues and community approaches to healthcare. You will learn about health and social care delivery and the importance of collaborative working. This stage aims to develop your understanding of the wider determinants of health and allows you to explore historical approaches as well as understand the challenges of modern society.
Students who successfully complete year one are eligible for a Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Health and Social Care.
Modules
- Contemporary Health and Wellbeing
- Working in Health and Social Care
- Modern Society
- Healthy Environments
Year Two
The second stage (HND) of the course allows you to develop an in-depth understanding of life stage development, exploring the physical and psychological development of individuals from pre-conception to end of life. Consideration will be given to the factors that impact this and how we identify and support the vulnerable and marginalised in society. Critical discussion will be introduced to discuss the challenges facing health and social care systems supporting these groups. You will also be introduced to the topic of mental health and social policy ensuring that you are prepared for health and care-associated issues across a wide spectrum of age ranges. At this stage you will also be introduced to research methods which will be used in the research project at the final stage of the course.
Students who successfully complete year one are eligible for a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Business Management and Leadership.
Modules
- An Introduction to Healthy Development
- Working with the Vulnerable in Society
- Mental Health and Social Policy
- Research Methods
Placement Year
There’s no better way to find out what you love doing than trying it out for yourself, which is why a work placement2 can often be beneficial. Work placements usually occur before your final year of study. They’re a great way to help you explore your potential career path and gain valuable work experience, whilst developing transferable skills for the future.
Modules
- UK Work Placement
- International Study/Work Placement
Final Year
In the final stage (degree), you will engage critically with healthcare-associated issues as you explore agendas influencing current policy, theory and practice both in the UK and abroad. You will examine the challenges of communicable and non-communicable disease and how they spread. You will also study the skills needed for leadership and management within health and social care. Finally, a research project will be undertaken to explore an area of interest and these may be shared at a research conference where local healthcare collaborators may be invited to attend.
Modules
- Global Health
- Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care
- Tackling Disease
- Research Project
We regularly review our course content to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
On successful completion of the course, you will have the knowledge and skills to be able to succeed in the health and social care sector. You will develop communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team. Through teaching and assessment, you will have developed a range of digital skills that are required for work and be able to demonstrate a range of competencies.
On successful completion you could explore roles in a variety of health and social care settings, such as working with those experiencing mental health issues or domestic violence, tackling environmental health issues or in public health teams. You may wish to continue to further your studies at postgraduate level in areas such as nursing, social work or postgraduate teacher training.